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Massacre at Koyama
___________________________________________________________________________ Conflict: Second Hitokiri war. Date: July 15th, 6th year of Shourisha. Location: Koyama, Kunihae. Combatants: 4th Yamamure regiment of Kunihae - 11th Imperial army of Shourigakure. Kunihae commanders: Unidentified Kunihae officer. Shourishan commanders: Captain Mizashi. Kunihae forces: 3 000 infantrymen. Shourishan forces: 12 000 infantrymen, 6 000 cavalry units, 2 000 artillery units. Outcome: Decisive Shourishan victory, Kunihae army completely destroyed. Kunihae casualties: All 3 000 infantrymen. Shourishan casualties: Very minor, approximately 150 infantry and cavalrymen. __________________________________________________________________________ Prelude The massacre at Koyama was a devastating defeat of the Kunihae army, losing the entire 4th Yamamure regiment. They were when fully strengthened consisting of 3 000 infantrymen and 500 cavalrymen, but since required to pass a group of rough mountains the cavalry units was left behind and the three thousand footsoldiers began to march day and night through the mountains of Koyama. It would take them nine days before the first settlement was within their line of sight, a town named Koyama after being the only area in the region suitable for colonization. Already at this moment the Imperial army of Shourigakure was visible, but only parts of it could be noticed at this distance and through the mist. Unaware of the enemy's huge advantage in numbers and equipment, the Kunihae forces organized themselves in basic five-rank line formations (200 men enters a formation where they stand in 5 lines with the first line crouching and firing simultaneously with the second. The three rear lines are considered a melee reserve). When they marched towards the Imperial army, thick fog was spreading through the mountains and made aiming with firearms almost impossible. The Kunihae forces therefore put their muskets aside and pulled out their sabers and katana swords, preparing for a close combat charge. Meanwhile the Imperial artillery had been deployed and was ready to harass the enemy army - despite the thick fog there was only one path through the mountains that the Kunihae forces could use, so the Imperialists could easily calculate where to aim. Battle At approximately 7:30 AM on July 15th, the Imperial artillery began to bombard the Kunihae forces with tense volleys of shells and bombs that caused heavy casualties among the unfortunate victims. Immediately the Kunihae forces responded by initiating a direct melee charge, but at least two hundred men were blown into pieces by the Imperial cannons. The soldiers of Kunihae tired themselves running and climbing to get to the town and was completely exhausted when making contact with the first Imperial infantry group, and the impact of their desperate charge was reflected upon themselves. They charged violently into the Imperial lines and were immediately impaled by the long bayonets of the Shourigakure rifles. At this close quarters, the Imperial infantry was able to aim with their superior firearms and launch repeating volleys into the oncoming enemy. Now more than a thousand dead soldiers filled the ground outside the city of Koyama, and the next charge consisting of 300 musketeers was also prevented as easily as the first attack. Now the Kunihae forces waited until all their men had reached the top of the hill before attacking again. This time the leading officer of Kunihae ordered his men to fire in blind against the mist where he assumed the Imperial forces to be. Some Shourishan soldiers actually were hit, but not more than twenty men on the flank of one of their square formations. Now the Kunihae forces had identified their location and the Imperial riflemen immediately returned fire with devastating results. Of the starting three thousand men of Kunihae, only eight hundred now remained. The few survivors charged against the enemy with bayonet-equipped rifles and katana swords, but their motivation was not enough. The final strike only lasted for approximately six minutes before the remaining soldiers retreated. But when they moved to escape, they found themselves outflanked by a group of Imperial elite soldiers and a hidden cavalry force. Within minutes the last Kunihae soldier was slain, and the Shourishan flag kept claiming control of Koyama for another ten years. The bodies of the dead soldiers were roughly buried in the holes that had been blown into the ground during the battle by the Imperial artillery. The three thousand infantrymen had been killed, only managing to kill 150 enemies.